Air duct cleaning law

What is the law across Europe?

Air duct cleaning
law

Common question from

customers/facilities managers

EU Regulation exists and is

applied in every EU member state

What is member experience?

There are many other
reasons besides ‘The
Law’
• Wellness
• Productivity
• Legal Liability
• Energy cost
• Ambient pollution
• Good housekeeping
• Fire
• Kitchen Extract a separate topic
Decision Support for
Facilities Manager

“Top
management will
Is it the Law?
only spend money
if they have to”
Workplace Directive 89/654/EEC
• General obligations for the employer:
• technical maintenance of the workplace
and of the equipment and devices is
carried out as quickly as possible
• the workplace and the equipment and
devices are regularly cleaned to an
adequate level of hygiene
• safety equipment and devices intended
to prevent or eliminate hazards are
regularly maintained and checked.
• https://osha.europa.eu/en/legislation/di
rectives/2
Workplace As an example, the
Is translated into
Directive individual Member
relevant UK Regulations
are titled: Workplace
State laws, which you
89/654/EEC can look up here
(Health, Safety &
Welfare) Regulations
UK Workplace (Health Safety & Welfare)
nd
Regulations L24 2 Edition 2013
• Regulation
• Must comply
• Approved Code of Practice
• Failure to follow ACoP would be
evidence of non-compliance
• Guidance
• Not compulsory, but advisable
 Regulation 5 –
Maintenance of • 1) The workplace and the equipment, devices and
systems to which this regulation applies shall be
Workplace, and of maintained (including cleaned as appropriate) in an
Equipment, Devices efficient state, in efficient working order and in good
repair
and Systems
• 41) An ‘efficient state’ means that the workplace
and the equipment, devices and systems mentioned
in these Regulations should be free of faults likely to
affect the health, safety or welfare of workers and Approved Code
provide an adequate level of hygiene. If a potentially
dangerous defect is discovered, the defect should be of Practice 5
rectified immediately or steps should be taken to
protect anyone who might be put at risk.
 • 44) The frequency of regular maintenance,
and precisely what it involves and who is
competent to complete it, will depend on the
equipment or device concerned. There is
guidance from HSE and you can get advice from
other authoritative sources, particularly
Guidance 5 manufacturers’ information and instructions, as
well as relevant trade literature.

• EN15780, EVHA Guidebooks can provide

authoritative sources
 • 1) Effective and suitable provision shall be
Regulation 6 - made to ensure that every enclosed workplace is
ventilated by a sufficient quantity of fresh or
Ventilation purified air.
 • 52) Mechanical ventilation systems (including
Approved Code air-conditioning systems) should be regularly and
adequately cleaned. They should also be
properly tested and maintained to ensure that
of Practice 6 they are kept clean and free from anything which
may contaminate the air.
EU Legislation, Standards and Norms for Duct
Cleanliness – May 2022
• General Workplace Regulation Workplace
Directive 89/654/EEC - “the workplace and the
equipment and devices are regularly cleaned to
an adequate level of hygiene”
• Minimum Health & Safety Requirements – “the
workplace and the equipment and devices, and in
particular those referred to in Annex I, point 6,
and Annex II, point 6, [i.e. systems for ‘ventilation
of enclosed workplaces’] are regularly cleaned to
an adequate level of hygiene”
• National transpositions into local law
Country EU Workplace Directive Standard/Regulation/Law Requirement Notes
89/654/EEC
Spain Yes UNE 100012 Hygienisation Annual inspection of https://www.venfilter.com/normativa
of air-conditioning systems. ventilation ductwork Inspection may be visual,
supplemented by duct or
microbiological analysis
UNE = La Asociación Española de
Normalización (Spanish standards)
Spain Yes RITE (Reglamento de Regulation refers to UNE
Instalaciones Térmicas en 100012
los Edificios), published in
BOE, number 89, date 2013-
04-13, page 27563. Refers to
UNE 100012
Belgium Yes Follows 89/654/EEC with
the General Workplace
Regulation, much like UK
Country EU Workplace Standard/Regulation/Law Requirement Notes
Directive
89/654/EEC
Belgium Semi-official advice for residential MVHR No trace of fouling should Government Economics Department
systems (July 2015) STS P 73-1 be visible to the naked
eye
Greece Yes Presidential Decree 16/1996 is in Recommendation that….
accordance with the EU Workplace Directive
89/654/EEC “If air-conditioning or mechanical ventilation installations are used,
they must operate in such a way that workers are not exposed to
draughts which cause discomfort.
Any deposit or dirt likely to create an immediate danger to the health
of workers by polluting the atmosphere must be removed without
delay.”
Ventilation of enclosed workplaces
Steps shall be taken to see to it that there is sufficient fresh air in
enclosed workplaces, having regard to the working methods used
and the physical demands placed on the workers.
If a forced ventilation system is used, it shall be maintained in
working order.
Any breakdown must be indicated by a control system where this is
necessary for the workers' health.
Malta Yes None found
Czech Republic Yes None found
Latvia No, but closely Republic of Latvia Cabinet 13.3. air-conditioning or ventilation systems shall be maintained in good
followed Regulation No. 359 (Labour Protection Requirements in order, regularly cleaned and the efficiency of their operation shall be
Workplaces) closely follows 89/654/EEC inspected
Latvia Republic of Latvia Cabinet Regulation No. 238 (Fire Safety 90. A mechanical ventilation system and a natural ventilation duct shall be cleaned
Regulations) in order to prevent the spread of fire in the structure.

80. A natural ventilation duct shall be inspected and cleaned:

80.1. not less than once in five years;
80.2. if there is a gas apparatus in the building - not less than once in three years

72. A statement shall be drawn up regarding cleaning results of the smoke stack,
heating device and facility, gas apparatus, natural ventilation duct.

75. A statement of inspection of the technical condition shall be drawn up regarding

the results of inspection of the technical condition of the fuel duct, heating facility,
device, and natural ventilation duct.

91. Inspection of the technical condition of a mechanical ventilation system and

cleaning shall be performed once in five years.

92. A statement shall be drawn up regarding cleaning of a mechanical ventilation

system or results of the check.
Finland Yes Ministry of the Interior Decree 802/2001
decree Number Annual – food & fire-risk
802/2001 on the Every 5 years – Hospitals,
cleaning of ventilation vulnerable populations,
ducts and equipment hospitality
Commercial Law
• Reference to standards • EVHA Guides
• Reference to good practice • EN15780
• Reasonable • VDi 6022
• Workmanlike quality • REHVA Guides 8 & 9
• State of the art
• How is Workplace Directive 89/654/EEC implemented
around member states?

• How can we improve compliance?